Navratri Recipes – In this post, you will find a compiled list of navratri fasting or vrat recipes that are made during the Navratri festival. Or you can browse the complete collection of Vrat Recipes here. Chaitra Navratri begins on 13 April 2021 and ends on 22 April 2021.
Navratri is one of the most celebrated festival in my home. As a devi-bhakt, I spend these 9 days in the worship of the goddess. Not only these 9 days, but for me not a single day goes without remembering the Mother Goddess.
Navratri festival is celebrated all over India. The method and ways of celebrating is different in each part of India.
In North and Western India, 9 days fasting or vrat is kept during the Navratri festival. In Bengal and other parts of Eastern India, Durga Puja is celebrated with much fanfare.
Navratri is also celebrated in South India. Fasting is not strictly observed here but food is made without the addition of onion and garlic. People do worship the deities and make sundals or sweet recipes to offer as prasadam. Golu which is a lovely display of deities idols, dolls and animal figures is set up in many homes during the festival.
Navratri Fasting
In India, fasting rules varies from community to community. It is always better to check with your family members before deciding the menu. If you plan to keep fast during Navratri then do check this list of Navratri fasting food and rules.
Below you will find both North Indian and South Indian recipes listed. Also mentioned towards is a list of flours and cereals consumed during the fasting period.
Most of the fasting recipes are very quick and easy to make. As many spices and herbs are not allowed during fasting days. Moreover you don’t have to chop onions, garlic etc.
Kindly skip or alter the ingredients according to your family traditions. I have also listed a few recipes which are made without onion and garlic but does include cereal flours.
In these instances, substitute the corn flour or besan (gram flour) with fasting flours like water chestnut flour (singhare ka atta), buckwheat flour (kuttu ka atta) or arrow root flour or potato starch. Do remember to use sendha namak or rock salt in recipes where I have not added them.
Fasting food is not only quicker to prepare but it is also easiest to digest. A good time to purify body-mind and get connected to your inner nature and to the Mother Goddess.
In North India only certain ingredients comprising of flours and grains are consumed during the 9 days of fasting.
Singhare ka atta (water chestnut flour)
Kuttu ka atta (buckwheat flour)
Rajgira ka atta (amaranth flour) and rajgira (amaranth)
Sama ke chawal ka atta (barnyard millet flour) and vrat ke chawal (barnyard millet)
Arrowroot flour
Sabudana or sago
Peanuts
Nuts & Dry fruits
Rock salt (sendha namak)
Spices and herbs varies from community to community. Generally, green chilles, black pepper powder, and ginger are used. You can check my compiled list of Navratri fasting food or ingredients.
104 Navratri Recipes
Listed below are 104 navratri recipes ranging from meals that can be served for lunch or dinner, snacks and sweets. Some of these snacks can also be made for breakfast. Do eat light if possible and drink lots of water. If possible have fruits or fruit juices.
Lunch-Dinner
I have categorized the lunch and dinner meals in various breads or grains based dishes that you can make. I have also added a section of gravy or vegetable sides that you can accompany with a bread or a grain based dish.
Bread & Grains
Listed below are dishes that are made with grains and flours that are consumed during fasting. You will get both flat breads and well as fried breads.
Sabudana ki khichdi is a delicious dish of tapioca pearls (sago) made with potatoes, peanuts and usually had during Hindu fasting days like Navratri, Ekadashi, mahashivratri. It is also a gluten free recipe. In this recipe post, you will get many tips and suggestions to make the best non-sticky sabudana khichdi.
Sabudana thalipeeth are crisp and soft pancakes made with tapioca pearls, mashed potatoes, ground peanuts and spices. They are also called as Upvasache Thalipeeth in Marathi language and can also be referred to as Sabudana roti.
Kuttu ki roti or paratha are gluten free flatbreads made with buckwheat flour and mashed potatoes. These healthy flatbreads are usually made during the Navratri fasting period in India.
Spiced colocasia or taro roots fry for Navratri fasting.
Breakfast or Snacks
Here I have added recipes that you can make for breakfast or snacks. Some of them are fried and for a healthier version, you can make these in an appe (paniyaram) pan or bake them.
Sabudana Vada is a popular savory deep fried snack made during Hindu fasting days, featuring tapioca pearls (sago), potatoes, peanuts and herbs. They are naturally gluten-free and vegan. This fool proof sabudana vada recipe gives you a super delicious crispy vada with a soft and light interior.
Perfectly salted French Fries that are crispy on the outside, soft on the inside. Make these homemade french fries or finger chips recipe easily with a few techniques and customize it with your favorite herbs and spices or toppings.
Farali patties recipe – crisp potato patties stuffed with a sweet-tangy coconut-dry fruits stuffing. A popular Gujarati snack that is made during fasting.
Kaddu pakora or pumpkin fritters made for fasting or religious vrat.
Chutney & Raita
Both chutney and raita accompany a main course or a snack very well and can be used as a dipping or topping sauce. Listed below are chutney and raita recipes that you can make for navratri fasting.
Tamarind Dates chutney recipe for chaat snacks. Thus sweet tangy gooey chutney made with tamarind, dates and jaggery goes well with Indian chaat snacks.
Cucumber raita is a popular savory raita dip made with cucumber and curd (yogurt). This simple, refreshing, cooling cucumber raita recipe comes together in 5 minutes.
Beetroot and carrot raita is a yogurt dip made with beetroot and carrots.
Sweets & Desserts
Can a meal be complete without any sweet? You will find here some easy sweets that you can make and store during the navratri festival. You can even offer these sweets to the Mother Goddess. Some of them are fruit based sweets and some are regular Indian sweets that can be had during vrat or fasting.
Lauki halwa is also called as dudhi halwa. It is a rich Indian sweet made with bottle gourd (opo squash), milk, sugar and ghee. The method of making lauki halwa is similar to making gajar halwa. Making lauki halwa is easy but takes some time. This is a slow cooked halwa and what you get after minutes of slow cooking is super deliciousness.
Apple halwa recipe made with apples, sugar, cinnamon and vanilla. Apple halwa is a delicious halwa that is easy to make. This apple halwa recipe does not use sooji (rava), milk, khoya or milk powder. Just apples, sugar (optional) and ghee. Flavorings and nuts of your choice can be added in the apple halwa.
Swang ke chawal ka halwa or vrat ka halwa recipe – a delicious halwa made with sama ke chawal (barnyard millet) which can be had during any fasting occasion like Navratri, Ekadashi, mahashivratri and chaturthi.
This recipe post two easy coconut ladoo recipes. The first coconut ladoo is a quick 3 ingredient recipe made with fresh coconut, condensed milk and cardamom powder. The second recipe is made with desiccated coconut powder and sugar.
Easy Dry fruits laddu recipe without any added sugar or fats like ghee or oil. Packed with nutrients, good fats and fibre, these energy balls are made with dates, figs and various nuts. Dry fruit laddu recipe gets done quickly and comes together under 20 minutes.
This is a Delhi style tasty fruit chaat that is spiced, savory, sweet and tangy. Fruit chaat is made of a mix of fresh seasonal fruits and tubers like potatoes and sweet potatoes.
This Summer Fruit salad with ice cream is a mix of various fruits and nuts served with ice cream. Fruit salad with ice cream is one of the dishes that is featured in the desserts section in the menu of many North Indian restaurants.
Drinks & Beverages
All fruits can be had during Navratri fasting. So you can make shakes, juices or smoothies from fruits. Milk and milk products can also be consumed during fasting.
Lassi is a cooling, refreshing, probiotic drink perfect for the warm summer months. Popular in Punjab and North India, there are many variations of this sweet lassi recipe. Find three easy, energizing and flavorful lassi recipe variations.
Healthy, refreshing, and energy-boosting, this dry fruit milkshake recipe is the perfect beverage to give you a quick boost throughout the day! It includes dried fruits, nuts, and plant-based milk making it a great gluten-free and vegan option.
Bright and refreshing mango smoothies are easy to make as a healthy breakfast or sweet snack. Here I share with you 5 unique mango smoothie recipes. There are versions with yogurt, oats, additional fresh fruits, and even almonds – give them all a try and discover your favorite mango smoothie recipe.
Refreshing, healthy and cooling Watermelon Juice to quench your thirst on a hot summery day. Learn to make three different versions of this healthy, all natural drink recipe.
Mint lemon juice recipe – healthy and refreshing drink for summers made from fresh mint leaves and lemon.
South Indian Navratri Recipes
The food that is made in Southern parts of India is very different and makes use of all cereals, grains and vegetables that are prohibited in the North Indian fasting dishes without the addition of onion and garlic.
Listed below are some recipes that are made during navaratri festival in South India. All the recipes are without onion and garlic. But if you want to keep fast as observed in North India then you should not make these recipes as they are not actual fasting or vrat recipes.
Idli recipe with lots of tips and suggestions so that you can make soft and fluffy idli easily. This idli recipe post also details the method of making idli batter. It is a popular Indian breakfast which is filling as well as nutritious.
This is a plain dosa or sada dosa recipe which is a famous breakfast or snack both in India as well as outside India. Dosa is basically healthy crepes made from ground rice and lentil batter which has been fermented.
Kotte kadubu are super soft aromatic idlis made in jackfruit leaves cup. In Konkani language, these idlis are known as hittu or khotte. Steaming in jackfruit leaves give the idlis the flavor and aroma of the jackfruit leaves.
Coconut chutney is a side dish that is served with idli, dosa, vada and Pongal. This coconut chutney recipe is an easy and simple recipe versatile enough to go with any Indian snack.
Maladu or maa laddu (pottukadalai ladoo) is quick South Indian recipe of ladoo made from roasted gram or roasted chana dal. Maladu is made with just 3 main ingredients – roasted gram flour, ghee and sugar.
Banana rasayana recipe – a simple sweet dish made with ripe bananas and coconut milk.
Sundal Recipes
Sundals are legume or lentil dishes made during Ganesh Chaturthi or during the nine days of the Navratri festival in South India. They can be made from different legumes or lentils like black eyed peas, sweet corn, moong beans, bengal gram, peanuts. The method to prepare sundal is more or less the same with minor variations.
Chana dal sundal is tempered & sautéed dry dish made with cooked chana dal, few spices and fresh coconut. Chana dal sundal is also called as kadalai paruppu sundal where 'kadalai paruppu' is the tamil word for chana dal.
Easy recipe of South Indian sweet corn sundal. sundals are South Indian based dishes made with a variety of legumes and is prepared during Ganesh Chaturthi or Navratri festival.
Welcome to Dassana's Veg Recipes. I share vegetarian recipes from India & around the World. Having been cooking for decades and with a professional background in cooking & baking, I help you to make your cooking journey easier with my tried and tested recipes showcased with step by step photos & plenty of tips & suggestions.
Wonderful collection of recipes,looks good and tastes superb .
Thank you.